Chapter 13: Burn It Down
"I didn't expect you to be back so soon, I don't know if it's even possible for someone to make enough progress to beat me in one day," Lenora stood on her end of the battlefield, smiling cunningly.
Ash gave Lenora a confident smile and spoke, "You'll be surprised when you see how much I've really progressed in a day. I'm not going to hold anything back."
"That's the spirit; show me the strength you've displayed during your previous travels!" Lenora reached for a Pokeball and threw it into the air quickly.
"This is it, Ash has to win this time," Iris clasped her hands together with nervousness and Axew mimicked her by doing the same.
"Ash can't afford to lose, he's come too far," Cilan said with a serious tone, focusing his gaze on the battlefield.
"Ash is more serious this time; he's not going to let Lenora leave him in the dust this time. All the training with Don George is going to pay off here," May grinned with an assured smile and made a fist.
"Pi!" Pikachu mimicked May and got on her shoulder, ready to show support for his friend.
Cinccino appeared on the battlefield, standing proudly in front of Lenora and ready to take Ash down again. The auburn-eyed teen quickly threw Tepig's Pokéball and the fire pig appeared on the field, eager to put his new abilities to the test.
"You may begin!" Lenora's husband declared and the two battlers prepared to fight.
"Cinccino, show us your power with a Rock Blast!" Lenora commanded loudly.
Ash smiled and made a command, "Tepig, dodge the Rock Blast and use Ember!"
Tepig nodded and moved from side to side as Cinccino tried to take the pig down with large rocks that came from the energy it developed. Lenora smiled and began to speak, "Tepig's speed is much higher than yesterday. I guess I might have misjudged you Ash."
"You haven't seen anything yet," Ash answered with a calm tone and smirked.
Lenora chuckled and shouted, "Stop Tepig with your largest boulder!"
"Cinccino!" the Normal-type cried out and turned a massive amount of energy into a large boulder that shot at Tepig faster than a bullet.
That rock is coming at Tepig too fast; he won't be able to dodge it. Guess we'll have to use Plan B, Ash thought to himself and yelled out, "Tepig, fight back with Flame Charge!"
"Flame Charge?" Lenora raised an eyebrow in surprise, unable to remember Tepig using Flame Charge. "Tepig may have learned a new move Ash, but is Flame Charge really supposed to stop my Rock Blast, it's just a type disadvantage," Lenora pointed out the flaw in Ash's counter.
Ash made a fist and pumped it forward, "Tepig, let's prove Lenora wrong!"
"Tepig tepig teepig teeeeeepig teeeeeeeepig!" Tepig dashed toward the boulder and became enveloped in a bright fire, leaving a stream of flames behind it. The starter began sweating from the power it was exerting, nonetheless, the pig kept rushing toward it and lunged forward when it was just a few inches apart.
Much to Lenora and Cinccino's surprise, Tepig broke through the large rock, overcoming its weakness. "But how?" the gym leader was baffled by the comeback.
"Keep charging, this time at Cinccino!" Ash screamed, encouraging Tepig to continue the fight.
Tepig still ran with a fire enveloping it, but Lenora wasn't going to back down so easy, "Cinccino, stop Tepig with a Thunder Wave!" Cinccino shook its head and unleashed a blue lightning ray at Tepig.
Ash smirked and spoke, "Tepig, dodge it quick and charge at full power!" Tepig did just that, easily dodging the Thunder Wave due to its superior speed and sent Cinccino flying when it hit its opponent.
Cinccino crashed against the dirt, covered in flames because of Tepig's intense Flame Charge. The pig huffed at Cinccino, smirking at it and prepared for anything Lenora would do next.
Lenora's Pokémon got up while groaning in pain. Lenora turned to Ash and grinned, "Ash, Tepig sure has gotten stronger. It really has me wondering if we can win this time, but even though you've got the upper hand, we're not giving up without a fight. Cinccino, use Hidden Power!"
"This is only the beginning Lenora, prepare yourself for more surprises soon. Tepig, counter Hidden Power with Ember!" Ash instructed and Tepig released a wave of red ashes.
Cinccino gathered its small spheres and united them to create a larger one, which it shot at Tepig, but instead clashed with Ember. The two attacks were equally powerful and neither was able to overcome the other, causing a large explosion that covered the battlefield in dust.
Cinccino was not able to see in all the dust and Lenora was unable to pinpoint her Pokémon's location. Ash however, was familiar with this situation and knew exactly what to do. "Tepig, locate Cinccino like we practiced and use Tackle!" Ash cried out his instructions.
"Is his Tepig able to do that?" Lenora became puzzled by the command, but her eyes widened when she saw Cinccino fly out of the cloud of dust and crash against the ground.
Tepig emerged out of the cloud as well and smirked at Lenora, confident about its abilities. "Way to go Tepig," Ash smiled when he saw Cinccino trying to get up while Tepig huffed at it.
Lenora looked at Tepig, then at Cinccino, and then at Ash and spoke, "I didn't think I'd have to try this hard and even though I am, it's proving pretty useless. So Ash, I'm going to use my trump card and end this once and for all. Cinccino let them have it with Giga Impact!"
"No you don't, Tepig, let's use Flame Charge one more time!" Ash declared confidently and both Pokémon began charging at each other with their most powerful attacks.
They became enveloped by the power of their attacks and charged at each other with full force. Lenora frowned and shouted, "Fool, Flame Charge isn't strong enough to overpower Giga Impact!"
"Who said Tepig was going to clash head-on?" Ash smirked at Lenora, confusing the woman. When the Pokémon were just a few feet away from each other, Ash cried out again, "Tepig, jump over Cinccino and finish this with a full-power Ember!"
"What!" Lenora shouted in shock. Tepig jumped over Cinccino, causing the Scarf Pokémon to miss. The counter resulted in Tepig using a powerful Ember that scorched Cinccino to the very core, making the Normal-type cry in pain.
Tepig dropped to the ground and puffed smoke out of its nostrils. Cinccino dropped to the ground, covered in ashes and wounds from Ember. "Cinccino is unable to battle; the first battle goes to Ash!" Hawes announced.
"Way to go Ash!" Iris cheered happily and clapped with Cilan and Axew over the victory.
May and Pikachu smiled at Ash and Tepig from the bench, happy with Ash's victorious first battle. "Piece of cake," May stated, continuing to smile with Pikachu.
Lenora returned Cinccino and smirked at Ash, "That was truly amazing Ash, the speed of your Tepig and your quick thinking has surely made you a stronger opponent. I don't know what training you went through to come so far in one day, your style has improved significantly and that's the style I hope to see through the rest of this battle."
"You can count on it," Ash pulled the brim of his hat down a bit. The raven-haired teen then turned to Tepig, "Tepig, you were awesome out there. I'm so proud of you; you didn't even get hit once by Cinccino. You deserve the rest pal."
"Tepig!" the pig cheered joyfully and smiled at Ash, the boy then returned his Pokémon into its Pokéball.
"So we'll both be using different Pokémon now, interesting," Lenora spoke and reached for a Pokéball. She chuckled and released her next Pokémon, "Go, Watchog!"
Ash smirked at her and reached for another Pokéball, "You're up Oshawott!"
Oshawott and Watchog got on the battlefield, both smirking at each other. "Osha osh oshawott!" the otter crossed his arms and grinned arrogantly.
"Watch watchog watch!" the Lookout Pokémon chuckled and crossed his arms.
"Watchog, use Thunderbolt!" Lenora wasted no time in making her command.
Ash extended his arm out to the left and yelled, "Oshawott, counter with a Razor Shell!"
Again with the type disadvantage counters, will it work this time though? Lenora asked herself.
"Oshawott!" Oshawott cried out and turned his scalchop into a blade. Then the otter began rushing at Watchog and Thunderbolt.
The otter struggled against his weakness at first, but the Water-type increased the power of the attack so the blade would be able to endure the damage. Oshawott kept advancing while Watchog tried to keep it at bay with Thunderbolt, but to no avail.
"Impossible," Lenora gazed with astonishment, admiring Oshawott's ability to endure the power of Thunderbolt.
When Oshawott got a few feet away from Watchog, Ash made his next command, "Now jump up, do a somersault and bash Watchog with Razor Shell!"
Lenora and Watchog got caught by surprise when they heard Ash's counter, the next thing they saw was Oshawott jumping upward, avoiding the Thunderbolt and then doing a somersault, pushing the otter towards Watchog. When the starter got close, it used its Razor Shell to send Watchog flying against a wall.
Watchog got up, ignoring the pain that had just been inflicted upon it and glared at Oshawott. Ash smirked at Lenora, "Not bad huh Lenora?"
"Not bad indeed, but can you still win? Watchog, Shadow Ball now!" Lenora exclaimed aggressively.
"Oshawott, fight back with Water Gun!" Ash countered.
"Oshaaawoott!" the otter cried out and released of stream of water that kept Shadow Ball at bay. The starter began pushing it back against Watchog, but Lenora knew what to do.
Lenora smirked and ordered Watchog to use, "Detect and follow it up with Low Kick!"
Before Watchog could get hit by the double attack, the Lookout Pokémon nimbly dodged it and rushed up to Oshawott with amazing speed, catching it and Ash off guard. Watchog glared at Oshawott and used Low Kick to send Oshawott flying into the air.
"Now, use Thunderbolt!" Lenora cried out and Watchog released the powerful Electric-type attack.
"Oshawott, get it together and use your scalchop to deflect it!" Ash commanded quickly.
Oshawott got its composure in midair and managed to block Thunderbolt just in time, sending the attack against the ground, which caused a weak explosion.
"Oshawott and Watchog are equal in terms of speed and attack," Cilan rubbed his chin, taking note of the standstill.
"This battle is going to be tough," Iris watched the two battled while sitting on the edge of her seat.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu shouted, encouraging Oshawott to fight back to the best of its ability.
"Ash still hasn't used Aqua Jet, it's the only move capable of defeating Watchog and I know he's going to use it soon," May kept her gaze on Oshawott, confident about Ash's future victory.
Oshawott landed on the field safely and frowned at Watchog. Ash smiled and prepared for his next move, "Oshawott, time for improvisation, let's use Razor Launch!"
"What on earth is Razor Launch?" Lenora became confused by the command.
"You'll see," Ash smirked and Oshawott formed a blade with its scalchop. The otter held it like a spear and threw it at Watchog with a deadly speed.
Child's play, Lenora chuckled and ordered, "Detect!" Watchog easily jumped over Oshawott's improvised attack.
"Perfect, shoot him down Oshawott!" Ash extended his arm upward. Oshawott nodded and released a stream of pressurized water at Watchog, who was still in midair.
Lenora and Watchog got caught off guard once again, causing the Lookout Pokémon to crash against the ceiling and forming a small crack. Oshawott pounded his chest as a sign of pride while Watchog dropped to the ground like a rock.
Unfortunately, the Lookout Pokémon still had enough energy to continue. "Watchog isn't ready to give up yet," Lenora crossed her arms and gave Ash a sly smirk.
"I was counting on that," Ash smirked and declared another assault, "Oshawott, use Aqua Jet to finish this!"
"Oshaaaawott!" the otter began running and a blue energy surrounded his body, eventually turning into water. The otter got into midair and started jetting across the battlefield, leaving a stream of water.
"Stop Oshawott with a Confuse Ray, Watchog!" Lenora extended her arm forward.
"Watchog!" the Normal-type called out its name and released the move. Ash made no command and Oshawott merely dodged the move thanks to the quick speed obtained from Aqua Jet.
"Darn, it's too fast!" Lenora grinded her teeth and made another command, "Let's end this with Thunderbolt!"
Ash smiled and spoke, "Oshawott grab your scalchop and use that as a shield while charging at Watchog!"
Oshawott shook its head and rushed towards its shell that lied on the floor while dodging Watchog's wave of Thunderbolts. Oshawott grabbed its shell and began charging at Watchog, deflecting the Thunderbolt.
The starter then rushed at full-power towards the Normal-type and sent it flying against the wall. Oshawott dropped to the ground and placed his shell on his belly. Watchog lay against the wall with swirl eyes, no longer able to battle.
"Watchog is unable to battle; the victor of the second battle is Ash!" Hawes announced.
Iris, Pikachu, and Cilan jumped in joy when Ash came out as the winner of the second battle. May on the other hand, just smiled, Lenora is down to 1 Pokémon while Ash still has 3. This is going to be a breeze.
"Impressive Ash, I didn't expect Aqua Jet at all. Oshawott surprised me even more by being able to manipulate it and then using a combination of its scalchop and Aqua Jet to deliver the finishing blow," the Gym Leader praised Ash's tactics.
"Thanks Lenora, there's more where that came from," Ash thanked her for the compliment and turned his attention to Oshawott. "Oshawott, you did it, I knew you could do it. After battling so hard, you've earned yourself a nice, long rest," the auburn-eyed teen smiled at him.
"Osha oshawott!" Oshawott smiled happily and Ash returned the otter.
Lenora chuckled and reached for her last Pokéball, "This one is for all the marbles Ash, get ready for Stoutland!" the woman called out and summoned her most powerful Pokémon.
"Bring it!" Ash reached for Tranquil's Pokeball and threw it, summoning his Flying-type onto the battlefield.
Tranquil stood majestically on the field and glared at Stoutland, remembering its defeat from yesterday. Lenora smiled, "Intriguing, your Pidove evolved, I can't wait to put its abilities to the test."
"You won't be disappointed by Tranquil. Let's get started, Tranquil use Gust!" Ash ordered and Tranquil flapped its wings and created a tornado.
The twister launched itself at Stoutland, but Lenora and her Pokémon remained cool. "Stoutland, use Wild Charge to dash through Gust!" Lenora commanded. Stoutland howled and rushed through the attack while being enveloped by an aura of electricity.
"Whoa, that's strong," Ash hadn't expected Stoutland to break through so easily. The Big-Hearted Pokémon continued to dash, aiming for Tranquil this time, but Ash remained calm. "Tranquil, dodge Wild Charge and use Quick Attack!"
Lenora was unable to counter in time and Tranquil nimbly moved from the harm's way. The bird then hit Stoutland with Quick Attack, making the dog slide across the battlefield.
"Now close in for another Quick Attack!" Ash demanded loudly.
Lenora chuckled and countered, "Stoutland, fight back with Surf!"
As Tranquil rushed toward Stoutland with impeccable speed, Stoutland roared and a large wave of water emerged from the ground, protecting the dog and heading straight toward Tranquil.
Ash's eyes widened when he saw how large it was, the wave almost reached the ceiling and it was wide enough to cover the battlefield. The auburn-eyed teen knew he had to come up with a different tactic, that wave is too strong to rush through and it's impossible to dodge, there's only one way to hit Stoutland. "Tranquil try to make an opening in the wave with Air Cutter quick!" Ash instructed with haste.
Tranquil began to flap its wings rapidly and released blue, sickle-shaped energy attacks to combat the wave. Like Ash had predicted, a hole emerged through the wave and Tranquil went right through, but suddenly, something bashed at Tranquil back to the side of the wave and got crushed by the water.
"No!" Ash cried out in fear.
When the wave finally dispersed, Stoutland growled at Tranquil, who tried to get up after the hard hit. Lenora chuckled and spoke, "I can't believe you fell for that trick again, Stoutland used Wild Charge to send Tranquil flying, but what it better this time was the wave being able to crush your Pokémon during the process."
Ash grinded his teeth in frustration while Tranquil groaned in pain as it stood. "This isn't good, Tranquil's taken two heavy hits in a row, one more might finish it," Cilan became anxious when he saw Tranquil struggling to get up.
"But Ash still has two more Pokémon," Iris tried to prove to Cilan that victory was still in Ash's hand.
"Pikachu pi!" Pikachu agreed with Iris, further proving her point.
"Yes, but Tepig and Oshawott are pretty exhausted from their battles, if they fight against Stoutland it'll be futile because they won't have enough power to fight back. Stoutland is stronger than Watchog and Cinccino combined, the only Pokémon on par with that power is Tranquil," Cilan pointed out something that put Ash's victory on the line.
Iris, Pikachu, and even May's eyes widened when they heard what the green-haired teen said. They all grinded their teeth in frustration, realizing the desperation of the situation, May clenched her fists and grinded her teeth, C'mon Ash, you have to win this, you can't afford to lose again, Pikachu, Iris, Cilan, and I all believe in you, after all the training and encouragement you can't afford to lose.
"Stoutland, use Swagger!" Lenora extended her arm forward.
"No!" Ash cried out, knowing there was no way Tranquil could avoid Swagger.
When Tranquil got on its feet, Stoutland sighed and smirked at Tranquil, infuriating the bird. The result became the same as last time; Tranquil began to fly around the battlefield aimlessly and tried to use Air Cutter on Stoutland.
Stoutland easily dodged Tranquil's attacks and moved around the battlefield. "Tranquil stop this now!" Ash cried out, causing the bird to get its composure back for a second. The Wild Pigeon stared at Ash, but then felt its anger coming back and continued its activity.
Ash began to sweat a little from the frustration and grinded his teeth, no matter how many times he tried to snap Tranquil out of it, the bird just kept attacking Stoutland, but with no progress.
Lenora crossed her arms and spoke, "Tranquil's been fun Ash, but the game is up. Stoutland, finish this with a Hyper Beam!"
Stoutland opened its jaw and released the powerful beam of energy at Tranquil, but Ash wasn't giving up yet, "Tranquil dodge now!"
Ash's words echoed through Tranquil's ears and the bird snapped out of its anger just in time. The Wild Pigeon Pokémon easily dodged Hyper Beam by flying up higher while spinning like a jet.
"Impossible!" Lenora cried out with surprise.
"Now, end this with a full-power Air Cutter!" Ash commanded, but the bird ignored his commands.
Ash and the others became confused as to why Tranquil didn't listen, the bird no longer even showed signs of confusion. When Tranquil reached the ceiling and began to jet down towards Stoutland with phenomenal speed, its body became encircled by a clear aura with white streaks.
"That's amazing, Tranquil's using Sky Attack!" Lenora shouted out.
"Sky Attack!" Ash, May, Iris, and Cilan screamed with surprise while Pikachu cried out its name in shock as well.
Lenora frowned and formed a sly smirk, "There's only one way to counter such a powerful attack, Stoutland use an all-out Hyper Beam!"
"Tranquil you give it your all too!" Ash screamed at the top of his lungs.
Tranquil began diving down faster while Stoutland released its high-powered attack. When the two attacks clash, the atmosphere intensified, Ash and his friends began grinding their teeth while Lenora remained calm, but had a frown on her face.
The aura around Tranquil suddenly became thicker and began to break through the Hyper Beam. Ash and his friends started to form smiles while Stoutland struggled to keep Tranquil at bay with Hyper Beam. The raven-haired teen then made his last command, "Now Tranquil!"
Tranquil heard Ash's voice and recalled all the effort it went through during Don George's trial, the struggle, the effort it had to put into, the bird couldn't afford to lose. With all of its might, Tranquil cried out and charged at full power, breaking through Hyper Beam and send Stoutland flying against the dirt.
A large explosion produced from the collision and everyone watched in amazement as the room lightened up because of the impact. When the dust cleared and light faded, everyone spotted Stoutland lying on the ground unconscious while Tranquil stood on top of the dog proudly, spreading out tis wings and cooing.
"Stoutland is unable to battle; the victory of today's gym battle goes to Ash from Pallet Town!" Hawes announced the clear winner of the fight.
"Tranquil, we did it, we won!" Ash rushed over to his bird and hugged it happily while it rubbed itself against Ash as a sign of affection.
Lenora smiled sheepishly and returned Stoutland. She then walked over to Ash and Tranquil, her face displaying a satisfied grin, "Ash this belongs to you." The Gym Leader opened her hand and revealed the Basic Badge.
Ash gladly received the badge and cheered with Tranquil, "We got the Basic Badge!" the boy declared and posed with the badge in his fingers.
"Ash!" His friends called out to him and hugged him, forming a group hug in the process.
"Amazing Ash, you managed to turn a sour defeat into a sweet victory," Cilan congratulated Ash for his win.
"We all knew you could do it, looks like you're not such a kid after all!" Iris cheered for her friend with a joyous tone, despite teasing him a little.
"Pi pikachu!" Pikachu rubbed his cheek against Ash as a sign of congratulations.
"Ash, I knew this moment was coming since yesterday, after all the sweat and panting, the training paid off and you won, I am so proud of you," May caught Ash's auburn eyes with her sapphire eyes and smiled at him, then the brunette nuzzled her face in his chest as a sign of affection.
Suddenly, man came rushing into the room frantically, "Lenora, Lenora, something's wrong!"
Lenora stopped admiring the friendship between the youths and turned to the man. The group of friends also separated and wondered why the man was acting so frantic. "Yes, what is it?" the Gym Leader asked.
"The museum…it has….intruders…you…have to…go…quick," the man panted while trying to state the situation, but then fainted, surprising everyone.
"Hawes, go through the emergency exit and take this man with you to a medical center quick, something is clearly wrong," Lenora spoke with a commanding voice.
Hawes picked the man up and placed the man's arm around his neck, "Of course dear." Hawes wasted no time in taking the man with him and finding the emergency exit.
Lenora turned to the children and spoke, "You kids stay here, something bad seems to be going on up there and it doesn't sound pretty."
"No Lenora, you don't know how bad it might be up there!" Ash talked back to the woman.
"You might need us there, who knows what's going on!" May teamed up with Ash and gave Lenora a reason as to why they should go.
"I agree, if we all go together it might prove safer, we still don't know what's going on," Cilan informed Lenora about the situation at hand.
"We have to go with you, please!" Iris begged the woman to let them come along with Ash and May.
Connoisseur boy is right, I might need help, this might just be the situation I had been warned about and I need a couple of strong trainers to help me out, Lenora thought inside her mind and looked at the four teens and sighed. "Alright, you can come along, but be careful."
They all nodded simultaneously and Ash returned Tranquil. They all rushed upstairs to the museum to see what on earth could have alarmed the man so bad. When they arrived, they found it empty and Lenora began inspecting every single detail of the museum.
The displays still had the fossils and the Dragonite skeleton had all its bones, but then something alerted her. Her eyes widened and Ash quickly took note of this, "Lenora what's wrong?"
"The Black Stone is missing," Lenora gazed at an empty display with broken glass surrounding its podium.
"What's the Black Stone?" The four teenagers asked the woman.
Lenora let out a deep breath and spoke, "The Black Stone is an artifact found many years ago in the desert, it is said to carry a large amount of Unova's history because it is as old as Unova itself. It contains a lot of information regarding the geographical formation of this region and it's even rumored to have a connection to one of Unova's legends."
"That is correct ma'am, you obviously know very much about everything inside this museum," a voice spoke from nowhere, alarming Lenora and the gang.
They all turned to a dark corner where a man came out of the shadows; he wore a thick purple coat and long, purple hat. He had the Team Plasma insignia on the front of his coat and he wore black gloves and boots. The man extended his arm out and showed the Black Stone in the palm of his hand.
Ash and the others all frowned at the man, instantly knowing he was a bad guy. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Zinzolin, a member of Team Neo Plasma and I am responsible for the theft of the Black Stone," the sinister man laughed and glared at his enemies.
All of a sudden, a few members of Team Neo Plasma came out of the shadows as well, standing beside Zinzolin. They all wore the same black, militaristic uniform as the members they encountered in Striaton City.
Lenora got in front of the teens and raised her voice, "I am aware of who you are, you're wanted to throughout the Unova region for committing multiple crimes. The police force and Pokémon League issued a warning against you crooks, if you ever showed your face you'd be arrested immediately." She then reached for a Pokéball and prepared to battle until another voice was heard by the stairs of the museum.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a man in black came out of the shadows. His voice was that of an old man and he had a hunchback. When the man pulled his hood down, he revealed himself, alarming the group, especially Ash and May.
"Charon!" Ash cried out, recognizing the former Team Galactic member.
A Klinklang appeared behind him and the man chuckled with an old voice. "Hello young ones, glad we had the chance to meet today."
Lenora shifted her gaze to the man and asked, "Who are you?"
Charon glared at the woman and spoke, "Lenora, I was talking to the children, it's very impolite to interrupt when someone else is speaking. As for whom I am, that shall remain an enigma until the time is right."
"He was a member of Team Galactic," Ash continued to glare at his enemy with May and Pikachu while the others wondered he was.
"But when Team Galactic separated, he joined the Majestic 12, a mysterious organization we don't know much about, except that it's composed of 12 powerful members and they dress in black coats," May cut Ash and informed Lenora about who Charon is and who he's involved with.
Charon groaned and glared at May, "Insolent brat, you don't go around informing others of who we are. That action only results in punishment."
"You know what, I don't care who you are or why you're working with Team Neo Plasma, all that needs to be done is retrieve the Black Stone and have you guys arrested!" Lenora spat at the elder.
"I'm afraid we cannot do that," Zinzolin spoke, Lenora turning to face the member of Team Neo Plasma.
"Indeed we can't, you see, my associates and I need the Black Stone for several operations that we are to carry out very soon. In other words, the Black Stone belongs to us," Charon smirked at Lenora deviously.
Ash frowned at Charon and spoke, "You geezer, didn't you learn to stop doing criminal activities after Cyrus and Team Galactic got defeated?!"
Charon's eyes burned with anger and he shouted, "Lousy child, I'll teach you to respect your elders and to stick your nose somewhere it doesn't belong!"
May rolled her eyes and began to speak, "Whatever, we're going to get the Black Stone back no matter what."
Iris, Cilan, Pikachu, Lenora, and Ash nodded. The trainers all reached for Pokéballs and prepared to battle.
"Fools, my Klinklang has you all on Lock-On, you make one slight move and you're blown to bits by Zap Cannon," Charon threatened to destroy the whole place if the group tried to pull something.
Ash and his friends groaned over the situation, understanding if any of them tried to do something, Charon would blast them to oblivion. They were unable to even come up with a plan, any slight movement spelled doom for them.
Then, without warning the front door of the fossil room opened and 6 Team Plasma members entered. Lenora and the others became even more alert by their arrival.
"Team Neo Plasma, hand over the Black Stone now, King N commands you do so," the leader of squad demanded. Like usual, N's goons were also dressed in a uniform, they dressed like knights in contrast to military operatives like Team Neo Plasma.
"Look who arrived…I'm sorry Team Plasma, but N doesn't even have the slightest clue on how to use the Black Stone," Zinzolin showed the Black Stone while speaking.
"Why would we give something so valuable to a mere pathetic youth like N, his father joined Team Neo Plasma for a reason, to combat against stupid mentalities like that of your leader," Charon spoke viciously about the youthful leader of Team Plasma.
The male leader of the Team Plasma Squad frowned and spoke, "If you are unwilling to cooperate, then you give us no choice, but to fight for it." The knights then reached for their Pokéballs and prepared to battle, but Charon began laughing.
Charon looked at Ash and his friends, then at Team Plasma and gave a nasty gaze. Two more Klinklang came out of the darkness and Charon spoke, "Team Plasma operates like the children you see before, foolish and easy to trap. My Klinklang here, have just put you on Lock-On, they will blast Hyper Beam at you if you move even inch, so in other words, you move, you die."
"No, you're bluffing," the leader of the Team Plasma members took a step, but got struck by a Thunderbolt used by one of the Klinklang. The man squealed in pain as his whole body dropped.
The moaned on the floor, unable to move while Team Neo Plasma and Charon laughed at his misery. Team Plasma and the gang only watched in horror as the member laid there like a dead man.
Ash groaned and glared at Charon, Zinzolin, and then at the Neo Plasma members, I wish we could do something, but what is there that we do?
They may be criminals too, but I felt horrible just watching him lie there, this has to stop, we have to do something, but what? May thought in her head, like Ash and the others; she was desperate for a way to escape.
Lenora grabbed a Pokéball and threatened to attack, ready to risk her life to stop these criminals. Suddenly, all the lights turned off without warning, alarming everyone in the room.
"What happened?" Iris spoke to her friends as quietly as possible.
"Apparently, the lights turned off for no reason," Cilan whispered to the girl.
"Charon, is it him?" Zinzolin's voice could be heard.
Charon laughed and answered, "Yes, it's him, the lone wolf. Kids, Lenora, don't bother moving, Klinklang can sense your movements. Remember, you move, you die."
Ash and the others grinded their teeth, wondering how they could escape now if they can't even see. Charon tried to see through the dark, but the old man was unable to.
All of a sudden, punches could be heard and the sounds of bodies dropping. Zinzolin's voice became frightened and he spoke, "Charon, they're knocking out the operatives one by one."
Many Team Plasma and Neo Plasma members detected a dark shadow moving, but before they could react, they were instantly knocked out by something. Charon could hear sounds of something moving and heard their goons cry in horror when the enemy neared, the sound of a body dropping would then follow.
Charon became serious and made commands, "Zinzolin, it's time for you to go, I'll handle this part of the mission, this is what I was assigned for."
"Right," Zinzolin spoke with a scared tone.
The group could hear Zinzolin footsteps as the man ran through the museum trying to find the exit until a figure dropped in front of the man. His face hidden in darkness, Zinzolin's eyes widened with fear when he saw the man and cried out "Help!"
The man snatched the Black Stone from his hand blasted Zinzolin away with a blue sphere. Alarming everyone when they heard Zinzolin crashing against a wall, then all the lights suddenly turned on again. Charon, Ash, and his friends all became shocked when they saw who stood in front of them with the Black Stone in his hand.
His face was hidden under a black hood, he had a muscular figure and stood in front of them with an intimidating posture, he was even taller than Lenora, but something about him was all too familiar. They saw all members of Team Plasma and Neo Plasma knocked out, lying unconscious on the floor. When they turned back to the man they saw a Zoroark standing next to him.
"Zoroark…"Ash recognized the Pokémon from his adventure in Sinnoh.
Charon began walking down the stairs and took a look at all of the unconscious bodies and then smirked at the intruder. "Roxas, you made it. We were starting to worry where you were, you always them to follow trouble like a dog chasing a car," the old man mocked the man named Roxas.
"I follow you because wherever you go, madness is sure to follow," the man spoke with an oddly familiar voice.
Charon chuckled and spoke, "Hand over the Black Stone."
"Stop targeting Lenora and the children or I will take you down," Roxas threatened the old man.
"If you attack me, the Klinklang will shoot," Charon chuckled louder than before.
Roxas chuckled and responded, "You don't seem to know me at all." Charon became confused by the remark and suddenly a Lucario came out of the darkness, landing in front of the three Klinklang. The Aura Pokémon easily disposed two of them with a double Aura Sphere and sent the other flying with Close Combat. The three Pokémon crashed against different walls of the room, unconscious.
"You never were one of the stronger members of the Majestic 12," Roxas taunted the old man.
When May saw the Lucario, her mind awakened and realized who this mysterious person was. The voice, Lucario, it all connected, she remembered the events from Pallet Town and knew this man was the same one saved them what felt like a lifetime ago.
"Ash, this is him, this is the man who saved us in Pallet Town, he's the one who fought Omega and used his Metagross to transport us to the port. It's him!" May told the boy with an overexcited voice.
"Are you sure," Ash became confused and so did the others. The auburn-eyed teen took a look at the man and then his Pokémon, there seemed something familiar about him. The boy took a glimpse of Roxas and turned to May, "If it's him, then we have to help him."
"Right!" May agreed with Ash's plan, the pair told the others of the man and stated their plan, which they agreed too as well.
Charon glared at the motionless Roxas until Ash called him out. "Hey Charon, you're Klinklang are down for the count. It's time for you to give up."
"You're going to pay for what you did here," May added to what Ash said.
"We're going to turn you along with these other crooks," Lenora spoke sternly.
Charon groaned, but then saw the Neo Plasma members getting up. The gray-haired man chuckled and turned to the group, "If you want to do that. Then first take care of the enemies around you."
Zinzolin and the other Team Neo Plasma members got up, realizing the situation, they quickly prepared for battle.
Roxas observed his surrounding his opponents, "I see, you've taught them how to recover from a knock out. Team Plasma is still out cold though, no matter, you're the target here."
"Right," Charon laughed and began fleeing.
Before Roxas gave chase with Zoroark and Lucario, he turned his gaze to the group, specifically Ash and May. "You take care of the grunts; I'll take care of the old man."
They all nodded at him and Roxas gave chase with Zoroark and Lucario moving quickly behind him.
"There's six of them, so Ash, May, you take care of two. Connoisseur boy and Iris, you take care of two and I'll take on the other two, now let's go!" Lenora instructed and they prepared to battle.
Ash and May were up against a male Neo Plasma member and Zinzolin. "Alright Pikachu, you're up," Ash turned to his pal, who was on his shoulder and the mouse nodded, dropping to the floor.
"Blaziken, it's show time!" May summoned her most powerful Pokémon to take care of the two enemies.
The Neo Plasma member called out a Purrloin while Zinzolin summoned a Garbodor. "Purrloin, use Scratch on Pikachu!" the grunt ordered.
"You kids will pay dearly for interfering with our plans, Garbodor use Sludge Bomb on Blaziken!" Zinzolin cried out with anger.
"Pikachu, dodge and use Iron Tail!" Ash countered. The Purrloin was fast, but fast enough, Pikachu easily dodged the attack and slammed its iron tail against Purrloin, sending the cat flying against the wall.
Garbodor released brown ball of sludge at Blaziken, but May knew how to counter it. "Blaziken, burn it away with Flamethrower!" the sapphire-eyed girl commanded. Blaziken vaporized the sludge and hit Garbodor, inflicting critical damage in the process.
"You guys aren't very tough," Ash taunted his opponents.
"I beat losers like you every morning," May further taunted them as well.
Zinzolin and his underling groaned. "We'll teach you not to mess with us, Garbodor, use Body Slam on Pikachu," Zinzolin ordered aggressively.
"Purrloin, use Slash on Blaziken!" the grunt demanded.
"Pikachu, use Double-Edge to hit that load of garbage away!" Ash extended his arm to the right.
"Pikaaa!" the mouse jumped into the air before Garbodor could drop on him and sent Garbodor flying with a full power Double Edge, like a bat hitting a baseball.
"Blaziken, dodge with a Spin Blaze Kick!" May instructed, confusing the grunt because of the odd command. Blaziken's much faster speed allowed it to spin out of harm's way and sent Purrloin flying against the floor with a powerful Blaze Kick.
"May, let's finish this with the combination we've been working on," Ash spoke to his girlfriend and partner.
"Sounds good to me!" May nodded and gladly accepted.
"Ok," the couple said simultaneously.
"Pikachu," Ash called the name of his friend.
"Blaziken," May called the name of her partner.
"Use Fire Volt Tackle!" the pair commanded at the same time.
The two Pokémon took advantage of Garbodor and Purrloin struggling to get up, so Blaziken released a spiral stream of fire while crying out "Blaziken!"
Pikachu went through the fire spin and began charging. "Pika pika pika pikaaachu!" the mouse ran through the spiral and became enveloped in electricity.
The combination attack hit Purrloin and Garbodor head-on, causing a large explosion within the museum. The fire of Fire Spin and the shock of Volt Tackle left Zinzolin and his underling's Pokémon unconscious.
"Unbelievable," Zinzolin showed fear when he saw how explosive the power of Ash and May proved to be.
Zinzolin looked behind his opponents and saw that they had already been defeated by a Pansage, Axew, Watchog, and Cinccino. The man glared at Ash and May, "We've been defeated, Team Neo Plasma, retreat now!"
"You're not getting away!" Ash leaped to grab Zinzolin, but the man released a canister of smoke that left them unable to see.
They began coughing and searched everywhere for the crooks, but once the smoke cleared, they had all escaped, even the Team Plasma Grunts. "They got away again!" Iris stomped her foot in anger.
"And looks like they even took the member of Team Plasma, I wonder why," Cilan took note of the other villainous team's members' absence.
"Too late to figure out now," Lenora gave them a stern look, wishing she had been able to stop them.
"There's only one lead left," May pointed out the remaining bad guy in the museum.
"Yeah, he's with Roxas, which means we have to go help him. That guy may be strong, but is he as strong as Charon?" Ash wondered and they all agreed to go in search of the mysterious figure and Charon.
"Besides, we have to thank him for all the help he's given us and I want some answers as to who he is, he may know something about all these bad guys that we don't," May showed curiosity regarding the man known as Roxas.
Beneath the museum, in the gym…
"Don't you see Roxas; there are great plans for this world. Omega plans on reshaping it, making it better, one where we can finally find sanctuary," Charon spoke to the man who stood before him with Zoroark and Lucario.
"So he's going to hurt and kill anyone who gets in his way," Roxas answered sternly.
Charon laughed and spoke, "There are certain barricades that will not allow us to achieve their goal unless they are removed, meaning your friends, especially that troublesome couple, they have to be exterminated one way or another."
Roxas clenched his fists and replied violently, "Sorry, I won't let that happen. I'm here to stop your plans and from hurting anyone, including them."
"Foolish boy, putting emotions before glory, you really are as hard as a rock. You rather keep some insignificant children alive rather than see an evolved humanity, one where evil and corruption are condemned, humans have become a virus in this world and Omega sees it necessary to cause a reboot, under the rule of the Majestic 12, this planet will not see the kind of history its seen since the start of the millennium," Charon lectured Roxas about the future.
"Your future is one where humans and Pokémon suffer even more, I'm not going to allow that, and if you're going to disrupt the balance of things, then that's an even greater reason as to why I should stop," Roxas extended his arm forward and formed an Aura Sphere on the palm of his hand.
"You know it is not in your nature to take a life," Charon smirked at his opponent.
"But it is in mine," Charon laughed and multiple Klinklang burst out the walls.
"We may have failed to obtain the Black Stone, but there's always next time. Klinklang, Hyper Beam!" Charon commanded harshly and the dozen Klinklang unleashed the powerful attack.
"Protect!" Roxas ordered and Zoroark and Lucario formed a barrier that protected them from the barrage of Hyper Beam.
When they stopped, the barrier disappeared and trio quickly split up. Roxas leaped in front of four Klinklang and used a double Aura Sphere to blast two away and then made two more Aura Spheres to blast the other two away, easily defeating them.
Lucario did the same as Roxas and blasted all four Klinklang with a double Aura Sphere. Zoroark however, is unable to learn Aura Sphere, but used a double Focus Blast to blast the remaining four Klinklang away.
The trio dropped on the ground and saw Charon aboard a helicopter. The mad scientist returned all the Klinklang and laugh manically as the helicopter flew away.
"He got away while we were taking care of his Klinklang!" Roxas slammed the ground with his fist.
"It was either capture Charon or keep our lives, there's nothing you could have done," Lucario spoke telepathically, Zoroark nodding in agreement.
Roxas got up and looked at his loyal partners, "Looks like we're going to have to keep tracking them down until they're finished."
Lucario and Zoroark nodded. "For now, you guys rest," Roxas told the pair and returned them to their Pokéballs.
The man heard footsteps and turned around, detecting Ash and his friends with his sapphire eyes.
"Looks like Charon escaped as well," Lenora pointed out since Roxas was the only person in the gym.
May looked at the man who just stared at them and ran over to him. "May, wait!" Ash ran behind her.
"What are they doing, that guy might be dangerous," Iris became surprised by her friends' actions.
Lenora spoke to the purple-haired girl, "Let them go, they seem to trust this man for a reason." Iris looked at Lenora and then at Pikachu, Cilan, and Axew who all nodded at her and she sighed.
"Roxas!" the brunette called him and ran up to him.
Ash quickly caught up with the sapphire-eyed girl and they stood before the mysterious man. The only thing the couple could see were his eyes that shined like sapphires.
"Yes?" the man asked them.
"We figured this would be a good time to talk to you because we haven't seen you since Pallet Town," May informed the man of her intentions.
"Were you really the one who saved us from Omega back in Pallet and the one who sent us the Metagross?" Ash questioned with curiosity while staring up at the man who was a bit taller than him.
"I was just doing my job," the figure answered coldly.
May became a bit intimidated by her voice, but found the courage to say, "Oh, well thank you." The girl smiled at him kindly though, she was still a bit frightened by him.
"Who are you?" Ash inquired the man again.
The man turned his back against May and Ash and spoke, "It's nothing of importance, you're better off not knowing."
"Huh?" Ash and May became confused by his enigmatic choice of words.
"Here, this belongs to the museum" the man grabbed the Black Stone out of his pocket and threw it at Ash, who caught it.
"Goodbye now," the man said and formed a portal in front of him.
"Wait, we're not done!" May tried to stop him, but the man ignored her and went through the portal, disappearing.
The brunette placed her hands on her hips and frowned, "That was rude. Who does that guy think he is? He may be a hero, but didn't his mother teach him any manners?"
Ash placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled, "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find out about him one day, but for now let's just be thankful for how we managed to get out of a tight situation. We even got the Black Stone back."
May looked into Ash's tender eyes and smiled, "Yeah, you're right Ash. At least we made it in one piece." The brunette hugged him and hid her face in his chest while the boy returned the embrace.
"So what did that guy say to you?" Cilan and the others interrupted the tender moment between the two.
Ash and May separated and smiled at them. "He left without saying too much, but he did give us the Black Stone," the auburn-eyed teen handed the item to Lenora.
"That's too bad, I didn't get to thank him, but I also owe you kids a thank you as well. It was a good thing you came along with me to the museum, I honestly don't know what I would have done, you helped me protect the museum and even though we didn't arrest those guys, we got what we needed back, so again, thank you for your help, Ash, May, Iris, Cilan, Pikachu, and Axew," Lenora smiled at the group of six.
"It was no problem Lenora, we're always happy to help," Ash placed his arms behind his head and grinned at the woman.
"We hope you catch those bad guys soon," Iris smiled at the Gym Leader.
"Remember to stay in touch," Cilan grinned at the woman.
"And I hope we meet again," May stated with a kind tone.
Lenora laughed and nodded, "Will do."
Later that day…
"Our whole stay in Nacrene City has been pretty crazy hasn't it?" Iris talked to the other friends as they began leaving the city.
"Sure was, with all of the battling, training, and bad guys. This might probably be a memorable event in our journey," Cilan recalled Don George's training, the battles with Lenora, and the encounter with the villainous teams and Roxas.
"I still can't help, but think who that Roxas guy is," May placed her finger on her chin as they walked.
"Well, you're going to have to forget about for now because up next is your contest," Ash reminded May that her next contest was up.
May's eyes shined with glee and the brunette spoke, "That's right! Good thing I got my training done during this whole time from Striaton City to Nacrene City."
"I can't wait to see how well you'll perform," Ash showed interest in something that wasn't gym battles for the first time in a while.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu expressed the same enthusiasm as his trainer.
"Wonder if Hilda will be there," Iris began to wonder.
May thought about it for a moment, but then formed a confident smile and spoke, "It doesn't matter if Hilda will be there or not, I plan on winning and that's all that matters," the brunette made a fist that represented determination.
"That's the spirit," Ash smiled at May, admiring her excitement and sapphire-eyed girl grabbed his hand, winking at him.
And with that, the gang continued their journey around the Unova region, but what other surprises will be store for them is unknown yet.
That's it, I hope you enjoyed it. I had fun writing this chapter cause I finally got to reintroduce Roxas or the guy that saved Ash and May in Pallet Town during the first story. The next chapter should be up in a week or so, stick around till then and remember to review about anything, thoughts, opinions, etc. See ya next time!